Evaluate the effectiveness of technology in monitoring national Essay

Evaluate the effectiveness of technology in monitoring national borders and preventing trafficking of drugs or humans - Essay Example 37). In order to counter these crimes, prevention measures have to be implemented to forestall the trafficking of human beings and drugs into the country. Various measures have been implemented to tackle these problems such as imposing heavy penalties on individuals who break these laws and also protecting the national orders through a team of well trained personnel and equipment (United states 2010, pg. 16). The use of technology in monitoring the national borders and preventing human and drug trafficking will be discussed as well as its effectiveness. Application of Technology in monitoring National Borders The national borders are monitored by different organizations all with the intention of preventing illegal activities from taking place. This involves prevention of illegal drug and human trafficking and also the illegal immigration of individuals into the country. For this purpose, technology is required to keep track of the activities being carried out along the border and als o to verify the legality of individuals or activities. For example, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses technology to identify illegal aliens in the country and further rank them according to the severity of their crimes (National Research Council (U.S.) 2009, pg. 29). Particularly, they apply biometric identification techniques which are used to identify individuals according to their traits or characteristics. In addition to that, illegal activity can be monitored through closed circuit television cameras. The authorities use these cameras to monitor the boundaries and detect whether there is any crime being carried out (Manning 2008, pg. 97). The cameras are usually hidden and are on a 24-hour basis. They are set in a position where they can hold a wide view of the area thus making it easier for the law enforcers to monitor. Law enforcers then observe the borders through the cameras in shifts and also by carrying out patrols around the area. It is possible to record information through these cameras and the information is stored in form of tapes. The tapes are important in court cases as they serve as evidence pointing towards illegal activity being carried out across the border and into the country. Application of Technology in Drug and Human Trafficking Different forms of technology can be applied in drug and human trafficking. For example, scanners are used in major airports to identi fy illegal substances in an individual’s package (Belliotti 2009, pg. 117). Airport authorities use advanced imaging technology which is programmed to detect various threats against the crew members and the passengers. Other than threats, the imaging technology also highlights the illegal substances thus allowing for further human searching. This form of technology is less invasive compared to the previous methods thus encouraged by many airports. In addition, technology is used to monitor and track the whereabouts of individuals involved in criminal activity particularly drug and human trafficking. Authorities are able to track cell phones using tracking devices that function by tracking the cell phone number. This gives them the accurate position of the phone thus making it easier to take action upon the traffickers. Traffickers prefer using prepaid cell phones which makes them harder to track and thus preventing the control of these vices. However, police officers are allo wed to plant tracking devices on such phones and consequently gain